Council staff tour recycling facility

By
SAM SHALDERS

Sept. 18, 2012, 9 a.m.

STAWELL - Northern Grampians Shire Council staff have taken a tour of VicWest Recyclers.

Council staff tour recycling facility

Northern Grampians Shire Council's manager of emergency services and environment, Kath Gosden, is pictured speaking to infrastructure project officer Alex Gordon during a tour of Stawell's recycling facility by councillors and officers. The tour was a good opportunity for council representatives to see first hand how the facility operates. Picture: KERRI KINGSTON

STAWELL - Northern Grampians Shire Council staff have taken
a tour of VicWest Recyclers.

All recycled waste from the shire is processed at the plant
and the tour was organised to allow councillors and council staff the
opportunity to view the process first hand.

"The tour gave us an insight into how those materials
are processed," Northern Grampians Shire Council's manager of emergency
services and environment, Kath Gosden said.

"It was an opportunity for council to get an idea and
an explanation on what issues might come from people putting incorrect items in
their recycling bins.

"A lot of people probably don't realise on the floor of
the site there are actually people hand sorting through the materials, there is
also technology with conveyor belts and different sorting compartments, but the
majority of sorting is done by people."

The tour explained to councillors that when people put the
wrong items in their recycle bins it has a number of consequences.

Ms Gosden said one of the main effects is an increase in
cost to remove the incorrect materials, which stretches council's waste
management service budget.

"By putting things in recycling bins that we shouldn't,
we are slowing down the sorting time which adds significant cost to each load
of waste that is processed," she said.

"Not only the cost but Vic West are responsible for
disposing of the waste that is removed."

There is also a risk to the VicWest Recyclers staff that
stems from things being dumped that shouldn't.

Some of the common waste that has to be removed includes
nappies, food waste, materials wrapped up in plastic bags and on occasions
syringes and other medical waste.

Ms Gosden said people need to know that what they place in
their recycling bins is sorted and broken down into individual categories to be
sent away.

"Some of the Northern Grampians Shire Council customer
service staff often field questions about what can be put into the recycling
bins, so it was good for them to come along and witness the process that takes
place," she said.

"It is always good to see what happens during that
process, but it was also good to find out what products get made into. Often
that is an eye opener."